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Magnesium Acetate is generally referred to as the magnesium salt of Acetic Acid. It exists in two forms- anhydrous and aqueous. In anhydrous form, magnesium acetate has the chemical formula Mg(C2H3O2)2 and in the hydrated form, magnesium acetate tetrahydrate has the chemical formula Mg(CH3COO)2 • 4H2O. In the hydrated form, magnesium has an oxidation state of 2+. It is deliquescent and when heated, it decomposes to give magnesium oxide. It is the common source of magnesium in biological reactions.
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Key Terms: Magnesium Acetate, Acetic Acid, Magnesium, Magnesium Oxide, Chemical Reactions, Aqueous, Biological Reactions, Molar Mass, Density, Melting Point
What is Magnesium Acetate?
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In general, Magnesium Acetate is the magnesium salt of Acetic Acid. Magnesium Acetate is deliquescent and while heating, it decomposes to produce magnesium oxide. It is commonly used as a source of magnesium in biological reactions. Here are some important features of Magnesium Acetate:
- Molecular Weight: 142.39
- Percent Composition: C 33.74%, H 4.25%, Mg 17.07%, O 44.95%
- Line Formula: Mg(C2H3O2)2
- Derivative Type: Tetrahydrate
- Properties: Colorless or white, deliquesce crystals, soluble in water or alcohol.
Magnesium Acetate
Also Read: Acids, Bases and Salts
Chemical Properties of Magnesium Acetate
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Here are the chemical properties of Magnesium Acetate:
- Magnesium acetate has a chemical formula Mg(C2H3O2)2.
- This compound has a Melting point of 80°C along with a density of 1.45 g/cm3 .
- It has a molar mass of 142.394 g/mol.
Physical Properties of Magnesium Acetate
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It is deliquescent in nature and has a white hygroscopic crystals appearance. It has a similar smell to acetic acid and dissolves in water. The aqueous solution of Magnesium Acetate has an alkaline pH.
Storage and Handling of Magnesium Acetate
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Magnesium acetate is hygroscopic in nature and needs to be kept away from water. It is also incompatible with strong oxidizers and we should not be mixed it.
It is a safe compound with zero health hazards. It has a zero hazard rating. It needs to be handled with gloves and goggles since contact with the skin can cause mild irritation and rashes.
Also Read: Magnesium Phosphate
Uses and Applications of Magnesium Acetate
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Some of the important applications and uses of Magnesium Acetate are as follows:
- It is used in dyeing ceramic tiles and textiles.
- The most common use of Magnesium Acetate is as a source of magnesium or for acetate ions in a chemistry experiment. One such example is when the magnesium acetate and the magnesium nitrate are both used for performing the molecular dynamics simulations and the surface tension measurements.
- One of its important uses is in the mixture of calcium magnesium acetate i.e. CMA.
- It is a combination of calcium acetate and magnesium acetate. It is an environment-friendly deicer substitute for CaCl2 as well as NaCl.
- It is also incredibly powerful in removing harmful gases like SO2, NOx, and toxic particulate emitted by the combustion of coal. It also acts as a catalyst in enabling coal combustion.
- It can cause a conformational transformation in the Escherichia coli enzyme Primase.
Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA)
Things To Remember
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- Magnesium acetate can exist in two forms, which are, anhydrous and aqueous. In anhydrous form, it has the chemical formula Mg(C2H3O2)2 and in hydrated form, the chemical formula is Mg(CH3COO)2 • 4H2O and the oxidation number is +2.
- It has a melting point of 80 °C and density of 1.45 g/cm3 and a molar mass of 142.394 g/mol.
- It appears as white hygroscopic crystals and is deliquescent in nature.
- It has zero health hazards. However, it needs to be handled with gloves and goggles because contact with the skin can cause mild irritation and rashes.
- It is an important component in CMA which is an environment-friendly deicer used as road salt. It also absorbs harmful gases like Nox and So2 in coal combustion. It also causes conformational transformation in the Escherichia coli enzyme Primase.
Solved Questions
Ques. What is the synthesis of the magnesium acetate from the process of reacting the magnesium hydroxide with the acetic acid? (4 Marks)
Ans. The synthesis of the magnesium acetate from the reaction of magnesium hydroxide with acetic acid is as shown below
2CH3COOH + Mg(OH)2 → (CH3COO)2 Mg + 2H2O
The magnesium carbonate is suspended in distilled water along with 20 per cent of the acetic acid solution.
2CH3COOH + MgCO3 → Mg(CH3COO)2 + CO2 + H2O
The metallic magnesium usually reacts with acetic acid dissolved inside the dry benzene and leads to the formation of magnesium acetate along with the discharge of hydrogen gas.
Ques. The molecular formula of magnesium acetate is (2 Marks)
1. Mg(CH3CHOO)
2. Mg2(CH3COO)3
3. Mg(CH3COO)2
4. Mg(CH3COO)3
Ans. C. Mg(CH3COO)2
The magnesium acetate is the salt of magnesium in the acetic acid. The oxidation number of magnesium acetate in an aqueous state is +2. It exists in two forms- anhydrous and aqueous.
Ques. What are Hygroscopic substances? Give examples. (2 Marks)
Ans. Hygroscopic substances refer to such substances which can readily attract water from its surrounding. This is done either by adsorption or absorption.
Examples of such substances are honey, ethanol, methanol, glycerine, concentrated Sulfuric acid
Ques. What is the reaction of magnesium acetate and hydrochloric acid? (3 Marks)
Ans. The chemical reaction between magnesium acetate (Mg(CH3CO2)2 and hydrochloric acid (HCl) is
Mg(CH3COO2)2 + 2HCl → MgCl2 + 2 CH3COOH
The after products of the reaction are magnesium chloride (MgCl2) and acetic acid (CH3CO2H). The reaction is only possible because acetic acid is a much weaker acid than hydrochloric acid. The reverse reaction of this doesn’t exist as would not give magnesium acetate and hydrochloric acid
Ques. What is CMA? What are its uses? (2 Marks)
Ans. CMA is Calcium Magnesium acetate which is a combination of calcium acetate and magnesium acetate. It is a deicer and is an environmentally friendly substitute for sodium chloride and calcium chloride. It is used as a grain of road salt.
Ques. What is the meaning of deliquescent? Give some examples (3 Marks)
Ans. Deliquescent is the process by which a substance absorbs moisture from the surrounding until it dissolves in the water form and turns into a solution. Some examples of deliquescent substances are sodium nitrate, calcium chloride, sodium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide.
Ques. What are the uses of magnesium acetate? (3 marks)
Ans. Magnesium acetate is used in the dyeing of ceramic tiles and the textile industry. It is also the source of magnesium or acetate in the chemistry experiment. It is used in performing molecular dynamics simulations and surface tension measurements.
It helps in removing harmful gases like NO2 and CO2. One of its application is CMA which is an environment-friendly substitute deicer to sodium chloride and calcium chloride.
Ques. How to store magnesium acetate? (2 Marks)
Ans. Magnesium acetate is hygroscopic in nature. Hygroscopic substances have a tendency to mix with water to turn into a solution. So, magnesium acetate has to be kept in a dry jar without contact with water.
Ques. How to handle magnesium acetate? (2 marks)
Ans. Magnesium acetate has zero health hazards. It is safe for work. However, it needs to be handled with gloves and goggles because contact with the skin can cause mild irritation and rashes.
Ques. What are the chemical and physical properties of magnesium acetate? (3 Marks)
Ans. Here are the properties of Magnesium Acetate:
- Chemical Properties: Magnesium acetate has a chemical formula Mg(C2H3O2)2 with a Melting point of 80 °C and density of 1.45 g/cm3 . It has a molar mass of 142.394 g/mol.
- Physical Properties: It is deliquescent in nature and appears as white hygroscopic crystals. It dissolves in water and its smell is similar to acetic acid. The pH is alkaline in nature.
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